Daily Telegraph quick and fast with facts

THERE is a spiky opinion piece on the Daily Telegraph website about how the credit crunch has curtailed the plans of Brits to buy in France or elsewhere in Europe.

It has drawn more than two dozen comments from people with a variety of opinions and views, but it makes quite a glaring error that has been picked out by people as a way forward for the UK.

Columnist Jenny McCartney writes:

In France, new legislation compels non-French European Union residents to take out private health insurance, and a British exodus from swathes of France is evident.

Whether the wagons have been loaded and an exodus back to the UK is taking place is open to question, but to say that non-French European Union residents now have to take out private health insurance isn't exactly correct either.

This only applies if you arrived in France after November 23, 2007 and if you do not work and are under retirement age - so if you are looking to start a business, set up a gite or have reached the state retirement age then you are not required to take out your own health insurance.

Whilst it is advised that you take out top up health insurance, known as mutuelle, there is no requirement to do this and the same applies to French nationals.

As you'll see in the comments written to the piece, people have said the UK should do the same, it's a shame the moderators at the Daily Telegraph weren't able to include my comment that highlighted the error and featured a link to the French embassy in London that explains medical cover for inactive UK nationals resident in France.

Comments

[Louise Hurren]

Jenny McCartney writes: "In France, new legislation compels non-French European Union residents to take out private health insurance, and a British exodus from swathes of France is evident." Where does she get her facts from? As Craig has pointed out, her first statement is sloppy and inaccurate, and her second is simply conjecture - or has she conducted an independent survey amongst Brits resident in France? How would anyone be able to tell if there was a "British exodus"? You don't have to declare your Brit status when entering OR leaving France these days, y'know. Utter tosh.

[Craig McGinty]

Hi Louise, and newspapers continue to blame the internet for lost readership, being free and easy with the facts might have much more to do with it.
All the best, Craig